Police in Columbia say that a toddler accidentally shot and killed himself, and his Father then committed shortly after finding his son dead.

Officers in Columbia have released new details into the death of a father and son on Truax Lane in Columbia.

According to officers, the child found a loaded gun inside the home, and the gun accidentally went off, killing him. The boy’s Mother, who was home at the time, called 9-1-1 to report what happened.

When officers arrived at the home a short time later, they found the boy’s father threatening to kill himself over what had happened. Officers then made several commands for the man to drop the weapon, but the man wound up taking his own life with his gun.

Both victims were officially pronounced dead at the hospital.

“Our hearts are heavy at the tremendous loss of life,‘ Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said. “We have victim advocates assigned to the case to assist the family during this difficult time. This experience has also been emotionally trying for responding officers. They will participate in a debriefing to discuss the incident and receive further support as needed.”

As part of the CPD investigation, investigators are now working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to determine the gun’s origin and ownership.

Important Gun Safety Tips All Parents Should Know

More than one-third of U.S. households have guns, whether it is for sport, protection or hunting. Whether or not your home is among them, it’s important to teach children the basics of gun safety and what to do if they do find one.

Unfortunately, locking up guns alone isn’t enough to ensure a child’s safety. Here are some important tips provided by Kidshealth.org that all gun-owning parents should know:

1. Explain to children that actual guns, unlike toy guns or guns they might see on TV or in video games, can critically injure and even kill a person.
2. Teach kids the following steps to take, if they ever come into contact with a gun: 1) Stop what they’re doing. 2) Don’t touch the gun. 3) Leave the area where the gun is. 4) Inform an adult about the gun immediately. All of these steps are crucial, especially leaving the area where the gun is. This is because other children might not know about gun safety, and even very young children are capable of pulling a trigger and accidentally killing someone standing nearby.
3. Be sure to never have a loaded gun in the house. Always take out the ammunition.
4. Parents should always lock the gun and make sure it is out of reach from children. Simply hiding the gun is not good enough.
5. Lock up the ammunition and store it separately from the gun itself.
6. Be sure to store the keys to the guns and ammunition apart from where house and other keys are kept. Keep these keys out of kids’ reach.
7. Always lock up gun cleaning supplies, too. These can be poisonous if accidentally ingested by a child.
8. A gun should never be left unattended by an adult when cleaning or handling it.

When children are armed with gun safety information, and when parents take all of the necessary precautions, guns can safety exist inside family homes.